1 00:00:03,903 --> 00:00:05,238 Through rain and snow, 2 00:00:05,372 --> 00:00:07,640 hurricane, typhoon and monsoon, 3 00:00:07,741 --> 00:00:09,776 flash flood and bomb cyclone, 4 00:00:09,876 --> 00:00:14,280 for ten years, the joint NASA-JAXA Global Precipitation Measurement mission 5 00:00:14,314 --> 00:00:16,616 has measured a lot of water. 6 00:00:16,983 --> 00:00:20,420 [launch countdown] 7 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:22,355 GPM’s Core Observatory 8 00:00:22,355 --> 00:00:27,193 satellite launched from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan in early 2014, 9 00:00:27,193 --> 00:00:31,064 becoming the first satellite to be able to see through the clouds and measure 10 00:00:31,064 --> 00:00:35,268 liquid and frozen precipitation from the Equator to polar regions 11 00:00:35,268 --> 00:00:36,503 using a radar. 12 00:00:36,669 --> 00:00:39,639 Freilich: GPM will give us a much better picture of 13 00:00:39,639 --> 00:00:42,609 of rain and snow falling across our planet. 14 00:00:42,976 --> 00:00:47,080 Knowing when, where and how much it rains or snows 15 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:51,751 will improve our understanding of Earth’s weather and climate cycles. 16 00:00:53,019 --> 00:00:55,422 Now, in its 10th year of operation, 17 00:00:55,422 --> 00:00:59,526 we look at ten events brought to light by this groundbreaking mission. 18 00:01:02,896 --> 00:01:03,997 In its first year, 19 00:01:03,997 --> 00:01:08,501 the GPM Core Observatory satellite caught the heavy rains of the Indian monsoon. 20 00:01:08,501 --> 00:01:11,438 The monsoon is a seasonal wind and rain pattern 21 00:01:11,438 --> 00:01:15,108 that can account for up to 60% of the region's yearly rainfall. 22 00:01:15,108 --> 00:01:18,645 GPM, allowed us to see precipitating systems like monsoons 23 00:01:18,645 --> 00:01:21,347 as a whole, over both land and ocean. 24 00:01:21,548 --> 00:01:24,217 These satellite data allow researchers to study 25 00:01:24,217 --> 00:01:28,321 the variability of the monsoon, as well as how they impact agriculture, 26 00:01:28,321 --> 00:01:30,990 flooding and landslides in the region. 27 00:01:34,294 --> 00:01:37,697 In 2015, Tropical Cyclone Kilo slowly 28 00:01:37,697 --> 00:01:41,301 meandered across the Pacific Ocean for 21 days. 29 00:01:41,301 --> 00:01:43,236 Because of its long lifespan, 30 00:01:43,236 --> 00:01:47,240 Kilo created a kind of open ocean laboratory for the mission to study 31 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:52,212 the development of the tropical cyclone in a way only possible with a global satellite. 32 00:01:52,312 --> 00:01:56,015 Kilo was so long-running that GPM caught it six times, 33 00:01:56,483 --> 00:01:59,853 and as both a hurricane and a typhoon after it crossed 34 00:01:59,853 --> 00:02:01,988 the International Dateline. 35 00:02:06,626 --> 00:02:08,294 In September 2016, 36 00:02:08,294 --> 00:02:12,999 Matthew became the first Category 5 hurricane in almost ten years. 37 00:02:12,999 --> 00:02:17,470 It strengthened from a Category 1 to a 5 in less than 24 hours, 38 00:02:17,470 --> 00:02:20,306 leaving a wake of destruction in its path. 39 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,276 As Matthew traveled through the Caribbean, 40 00:02:23,276 --> 00:02:26,980 data from GPM and a suite of other satellites allowed researchers 41 00:02:26,980 --> 00:02:30,350 to create a multidimensional picture of the hurricane 42 00:02:30,350 --> 00:02:33,686 in order to study the complex atmospheric interactions. 43 00:02:39,225 --> 00:02:40,860 Less than a year later, Hurricane 44 00:02:40,860 --> 00:02:44,731 Harvey became a Category 4 as it made landfall in Texas. 45 00:02:44,731 --> 00:02:49,602 Soon after, Harvey quickly lost speed and slowly inched up the coast, resulting 46 00:02:49,602 --> 00:02:54,040 in a record breaking amount of rainfall, topping four feet in some areas. 47 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:59,145 GPM was able to track Harvey and the ensuing flooding because of its product called IMERG, 48 00:02:59,612 --> 00:03:03,349 The Integrated Multi-SatellitE Retrievals for GPM. 49 00:03:03,383 --> 00:03:08,054 IMERG combines information from whatever group of satellites is operating in Earth orbit 50 00:03:08,054 --> 00:03:12,225 at any given time, and estimates precipitation over the entire globe. 51 00:03:12,859 --> 00:03:17,697 This way, no matter where the GPM Core satellite is, NASA can track the impact 52 00:03:17,697 --> 00:03:21,434 of precipitation systems and provide half-hourly data to local 53 00:03:21,434 --> 00:03:23,269 and regional agencies. 54 00:03:28,141 --> 00:03:29,742 It isn't just for rain. 55 00:03:29,742 --> 00:03:32,612 In fact, GPM became the first NASA satellite 56 00:03:32,612 --> 00:03:37,217 to measure the full range of light and heavy rain and falling snow. 57 00:03:37,483 --> 00:03:40,186 In January 2018, GPM observed 58 00:03:40,186 --> 00:03:43,423 a rapidly intensifying, or bomb, cyclone, 59 00:03:43,423 --> 00:03:47,126 which is marked by an extreme drop in central pressure of the system. 60 00:03:47,427 --> 00:03:51,197 The radiometer and radar instruments on the GPM Core Observatory 61 00:03:51,197 --> 00:03:56,536 allow it to see inside the storm and observe the frozen precipitation high atop the clouds. 62 00:03:58,204 --> 00:04:00,240 It can measure, layer by layer, 63 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:02,976 the size and distribution of snow particles, 64 00:04:03,176 --> 00:04:07,313 which can help improve the numerical weather forecasts of snowfall. 65 00:04:13,219 --> 00:04:14,487 A Category 5, 66 00:04:14,487 --> 00:04:19,192 Hurricane Dorian became the most intense tropical cyclone to hit the Bahamas. 67 00:04:19,192 --> 00:04:21,394 As it churned northward toward Florida, 68 00:04:21,394 --> 00:04:24,731 GPM observed an important event in hurricane evolution: 69 00:04:24,731 --> 00:04:27,200 an eyewall replacement cycle. 70 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:32,572 Here, the initial compact, more intense eyewall is replaced by a broader eyewall, 71 00:04:32,572 --> 00:04:35,775 robbing the inner eyewall of moisture and angular momentum, 72 00:04:35,775 --> 00:04:37,877 resulting in a weakened storm. 73 00:04:37,877 --> 00:04:41,981 Predicting eyewall replacement cycles is difficult for forecast models, 74 00:04:41,981 --> 00:04:43,883 and detailed data from GPM 75 00:04:43,883 --> 00:04:47,053 can improve the accuracy of those forecasts in time. 76 00:04:51,924 --> 00:04:57,664 Hurricane Laura was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana in over 50 years. 77 00:04:57,664 --> 00:05:02,168 To study it closely, the GPM Core Observatory's instruments were able to quantify 78 00:05:02,168 --> 00:05:06,005 and compare the distribution of precipitation drop sizes. 79 00:05:06,172 --> 00:05:08,341 It sounds like too fine a detail, 80 00:05:08,341 --> 00:05:12,011 but drop size distribution can tell researchers how droplets 81 00:05:12,011 --> 00:05:17,717 are colliding and coalescing within the storm before, during and after landfall. 82 00:05:17,850 --> 00:05:21,254 This close look at the microphysical environment can help 83 00:05:21,254 --> 00:05:25,558 improve numerical weather forecasts and complex climate models. 84 00:05:33,466 --> 00:05:36,336 GPM can show more than single storms. 85 00:05:36,336 --> 00:05:39,472 It can cover precipitation over years, showing us 86 00:05:39,472 --> 00:05:42,642 longer term phenomena, like El Niño and La Niña. 87 00:05:43,176 --> 00:05:48,614 These large-scale climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean can affect weather worldwide. 88 00:05:48,614 --> 00:05:51,284 Huffman: We need the long-term record in order to know how 89 00:05:51,284 --> 00:05:57,323 what's happening now is comparing to the averages and previous extremes. 90 00:05:57,423 --> 00:05:59,859 Basically, what's the climate? 91 00:05:59,859 --> 00:06:03,396 These data are really important for telling us whether we should expect 92 00:06:03,663 --> 00:06:07,633 variations such as we're seeing, or whether perhaps they're new extremes. 93 00:06:13,406 --> 00:06:14,674 A big part of the GPM 94 00:06:14,674 --> 00:06:18,444 story is seeing the extremes, both near and far. 95 00:06:18,878 --> 00:06:21,180 Early 2022 brought Australia's 96 00:06:21,180 --> 00:06:23,583 worst recorded flooding disasters. 97 00:06:24,150 --> 00:06:28,888 With IMERG, GPM was able to track and measure the heavy and persistent rainfall 98 00:06:28,888 --> 00:06:33,459 from a series of storms that battered the northwest and east of Australia. 99 00:06:33,860 --> 00:06:39,399 Providing half-hourly rainfall estimates for agencies and resource managers around the globe 100 00:06:39,399 --> 00:06:43,102 has revolutionized the tools to help with floods, droughts, 101 00:06:43,102 --> 00:06:45,738 agriculture and disease outbreaks. 102 00:06:51,043 --> 00:06:55,114 For five weeks, GPM tracked Tropical Cyclone Freddy, 103 00:06:55,381 --> 00:06:58,851 the longest-lived tropical cyclone on record ever. 104 00:06:59,485 --> 00:07:01,220 Freddy began over the waters between 105 00:07:01,220 --> 00:07:05,525 Indonesia and Australia, and slowly progressed toward eastern Africa, 106 00:07:05,525 --> 00:07:09,629 causing flooding and destruction in Madagascar and Mozambique. 107 00:07:10,062 --> 00:07:14,967 Over the course of the storm’s history, IMERG revealed a variety of rainfall features 108 00:07:14,967 --> 00:07:19,772 and trends that relate closely to the variations in Freddy's intensity. 109 00:07:19,772 --> 00:07:24,610 For instance, being able to analyze the surface rainfall intensity and where it occurs 110 00:07:24,610 --> 00:07:30,116 relative to the storm’s center is valuable for studying the evolution of tropical cyclones. 111 00:07:33,786 --> 00:07:36,522 When it comes to climate, what is normal? 112 00:07:36,522 --> 00:07:39,959 That's kind of a big question, but providing the best picture 113 00:07:39,959 --> 00:07:43,095 of what's actually happening is climatology. 114 00:07:43,362 --> 00:07:45,898 And GPM has made big strides in defining 115 00:07:45,898 --> 00:07:48,968 the annual cycle of precipitation climatology. 116 00:07:49,469 --> 00:07:50,937 GPM isn't alone. 117 00:07:51,037 --> 00:07:54,006 It stands on the shoulders of its predecessor, TRMM, 118 00:07:54,006 --> 00:07:56,209 the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission. 119 00:07:56,209 --> 00:07:59,679 [launch commentary] 120 00:07:59,712 --> 00:08:02,715 With TRMM’s launch in 1997, developing 121 00:08:02,715 --> 00:08:06,385 a fine-scale global precipitation record, began in earnest. 122 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:09,722 And while TRMM lasted until 2015, 123 00:08:09,722 --> 00:08:12,525 it built the foundation of that long record. 124 00:08:12,658 --> 00:08:16,562 Today, GPM not only has added another decade of data, 125 00:08:16,562 --> 00:08:19,966 but reanalyzed TRMM’s data with modern algorithms. 126 00:08:20,266 --> 00:08:23,536 This long and growing record gives climate researchers 127 00:08:23,536 --> 00:08:28,574 a good estimate of what their models and results should reveal in the current era. 128 00:08:29,976 --> 00:08:30,943 As we continue to 129 00:08:30,943 --> 00:08:36,048 see climate change impact our seasons, our regions and towns and our livelihoods, 130 00:08:36,048 --> 00:08:40,786 we want to know how rain and snowfall will change, where extreme weather will occur, 131 00:08:40,853 --> 00:08:42,054 and how often. 132 00:08:44,257 --> 00:08:46,025 The data from GPM continues 133 00:08:46,025 --> 00:08:50,663 to help researchers build on a long record of past precipitation 134 00:08:50,663 --> 00:08:54,033 in order to set the stage for understanding the future.